The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree broadly characterized by its regular and prolific bearing of early ripening, small to medium sized, firm and yellow fleshed, semi-freestone fruit and more particularly to such a peach tree further characterized by its similarity to the Springcrest (unpatented) variety except for its somewhat lighter foliage and, especially by the ripening of its fruit 7 to 10 days earlier.
The Springcrest peach tree, developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, is well known as producing highly attractive, early ripening, semi-freestone peaches of good quality and excellent market acceptance. As with all produce, the time of harvest of peaches greatly influences the prices the peaches bring on the market. Generally, the earlier an early ripening peach can be marketed the higher the price. This has been a contributing factor in the success of the Springcrest. The present variety virtually duplicates the high quality of the Springcrest but ripens from a week to 10 days earlier. It ripens approximately at the same time as the Springold (unpatented) but enjoys several advantages over it including less demanding chilling requirements for fruit production.